Article published in The Hope, November 2019
The views expressed in this article are not necessarily those of The Hope or Kibow Biotech.
In order to comprehensively address chronic kidney disease, it is important to look at it from many different angles. A holistic approach to CKD can include supplements, dietary changes and lifestyle changes. Many patients are very diligent with supplements and follow their diet closely, but lifestyle factors are often overlooked. Chief among the important lifestyle factors is sleep. A good night’s sleep is essential for kidney patients and our healing process.
Many of the kidney patients I talk to have long standing issues with insomnia. For others insomnia only started once the kidney function started to decline. Addressing insomnia is crucial for kidney patients to feel their best during their waking hours, and is often the missing element in a kidney patient’s protocol.
Insomnia comes in many forms. There is onset insomnia with which it is hard to fall asleep, and maintenance insomnia, meaning it is hard to stay asleep. There is also non-refreshing sleep with which the person feels tired despite having had a full night’s sleep. Kidney patients seem susceptible to all 3 types. In practice I often see onset insomnia, though with getting up during the night to urinate, maintenance insomnia is also common.
The reasons for insomnia are not always clear but we can identify some contributing factors: